159 research outputs found
Spectral multiplexing of telecom emitters with stable transition frequency
In a quantum network, coherent emitters can be entangled over large distances
using photonic channels. In solid-state devices, the required efficient
light-emitter interface can be implemented by confining the light in
nanophotonic structures. However, fluctuating charges and magnetic moments at
the nearby interface then lead to spectral instability of the emitters. Here we
avoid this limitation when enhancing the photon emission up to 70(12)-fold
using a Fabry-Perot resonator with an embedded 19 micrometer thin crystalline
membrane, in which we observe around 100 individual erbium emitters. In
long-term measurements, they exhibit an exceptional spectral stability of < 0.2
MHz that is limited by the coupling to surrounding nuclear spins. We further
implement spectrally multiplexed coherent control and find an optical coherence
time of 0.11(1) ms, approaching the lifetime limit of 0.3 ms for the
strongest-coupled emitters. Our results constitute an important step towards
frequency-multiplexed quantum-network nodes operating directly at a
telecommunication wavelength
Coherent and Purcell-Enhanced Emission from Erbium Dopants in a Cryogenic High-Q Resonator
The stability and outstanding coherence of dopants and other atom-like
defects in tailored host crystals make them a leading platform for the
implementation of distributed quantum information processing and sensing in
quantum networks. Albeit the required efficient light-matter coupling can be
achieved via the integration into nanoscale resonators, in this approach the
proximity of interfaces is detrimental to the coherence of even the
least-sensitive emitters. Here, we establish an alternative: By integrating a
19 micrometer thin erbium-doped crystal into a cryogenic Fabry-Perot resonator
with a quality factor of nine million, we can demonstrate 59(6)-fold
enhancement of the emission rate, corresponding to a two-level Purcell factor
of 530(50), while preserving lifetime-limited optical coherence up to 0.54(1)
ms. With its emission at the minimal-loss wavelength of optical fibers and its
outcoupling efficiency of 46(8) %, our system enables coherent and efficient
nodes for long-distance quantum networks
Experimental loophole-free violation of a Bell inequality using entangled electron spins separated by 1.3 km
For more than 80 years, the counterintuitive predictions of quantum theory
have stimulated debate about the nature of reality. In his seminal work, John
Bell proved that no theory of nature that obeys locality and realism can
reproduce all the predictions of quantum theory. Bell showed that in any local
realist theory the correlations between distant measurements satisfy an
inequality and, moreover, that this inequality can be violated according to
quantum theory. This provided a recipe for experimental tests of the
fundamental principles underlying the laws of nature. In the past decades,
numerous ingenious Bell inequality tests have been reported. However, because
of experimental limitations, all experiments to date required additional
assumptions to obtain a contradiction with local realism, resulting in
loopholes. Here we report on a Bell experiment that is free of any such
additional assumption and thus directly tests the principles underlying Bell's
inequality. We employ an event-ready scheme that enables the generation of
high-fidelity entanglement between distant electron spins. Efficient spin
readout avoids the fair sampling assumption (detection loophole), while the use
of fast random basis selection and readout combined with a spatial separation
of 1.3 km ensure the required locality conditions. We perform 245 trials
testing the CHSH-Bell inequality and find . A
null hypothesis test yields a probability of that a local-realist
model for space-like separated sites produces data with a violation at least as
large as observed, even when allowing for memory in the devices. This result
rules out large classes of local realist theories, and paves the way for
implementing device-independent quantum-secure communication and randomness
certification.Comment: Raw data will be made available after publicatio
An Elementary Quantum Network of Single Atoms in Optical Cavities
Quantum networks are distributed quantum many-body systems with tailored
topology and controlled information exchange. They are the backbone of
distributed quantum computing architectures and quantum communication. Here we
present a prototype of such a quantum network based on single atoms embedded in
optical cavities. We show that atom-cavity systems form universal nodes capable
of sending, receiving, storing and releasing photonic quantum information.
Quantum connectivity between nodes is achieved in the conceptually most
fundamental way: by the coherent exchange of a single photon. We demonstrate
the faithful transfer of an atomic quantum state and the creation of
entanglement between two identical nodes in independent laboratories. The
created nonlocal state is manipulated by local qubit rotation. This efficient
cavity-based approach to quantum networking is particularly promising as it
offers a clear perspective for scalability, thus paving the way towards
large-scale quantum networks and their applications.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Cavity Induced Interfacing of Atoms and Light
This chapter introduces cavity-based light-matter quantum interfaces, with a
single atom or ion in strong coupling to a high-finesse optical cavity. We
discuss the deterministic generation of indistinguishable single photons from
these systems; the atom-photon entanglement intractably linked to this process;
and the information encoding using spatio-temporal modes within these photons.
Furthermore, we show how to establish a time-reversal of the aforementioned
emission process to use a coupled atom-cavity system as a quantum memory. Along
the line, we also discuss the performance and characterisation of cavity
photons in elementary linear-optics arrangements with single beam splitters for
quantum-homodyne measurements.Comment: to appear as a book chapter in a compilation "Engineering the
Atom-Photon Interaction" published by Springer in 2015, edited by A.
Predojevic and M. W. Mitchel
Recreating blood-brain barrier physiology and structure on chip: A novel neurovascular microfluidic bioreactor
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical structure that serves as the gatekeeper between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. It is the responsibility of the BBB to facilitate the entry of required nutrients into the brain and to exclude potentially harmful compounds; however, this complex structure has remained difficult to model faithfully in vitro. Accurate in vitro models are necessary for understanding how the BBB forms and functions, as well as for evaluating drug and toxin penetration across the barrier. Many previous models have failed to support all the cell types involved in the BBB formation and/or lacked the flow-created shear forces needed for mature tight junction formation. To address these issues and to help establish a more faithful in vitro model of the BBB, we have designed and fabricated a microfluidic device that is comprised of both a vascular chamber and a brain chamber separated by a porous membrane. This design allows for cell-to-cell communication between endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes and independent perfusion of both compartments separated by the membrane. This NeuroVascular Unit (NVU) represents approximately one-millionth of the human brain, and hence, has sufficient cell mass to support a breadth of analytical measurements. The NVU has been validated with both fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran diffusion and transendothelial electrical resistance. The NVU has enabled in vitro modeling of the BBB using all human cell types and sampling effluent from both sides of the barrier
Enhancement of Rydberg-mediated single-photon nonlinearities by electrically tuned Förster resonances
We demonstrate experimentally that Stark-tuned Förster resonances can be used to substantially increase the interaction between individual photons mediated by Rydberg interaction inside an optical medium. This technique is employed to boost the gain of a Rydberg-mediated single-photon transistor and to enhance the non-destructive detection of single Rydberg atoms. Furthermore, our all-optical detection scheme enables high-resolution spectroscopy of two-state Förster resonances, revealing the fine structure splitting of high-n Rydberg states and the non-degeneracy of Rydberg Zeeman substates in finite fields. We show that the âŁ50S1/2,48S1/2â©ââŁ49P1/2,48P1/2â© pair state resonance in 87Rb enables simultaneously a transistor gain G>100 and all-optical detection fidelity of single Rydberg atoms F>0.8. We demonstrate for the first time the coherent operation of the Rydberg transistor with G>2 by reading out the gate photon after scattering source photons. Comparison of the observed readout efficiency to a theoretical model for the projection of the stored spin wave yields excellent agreement and thus successfully identifies the main decoherence mechanism of the Rydberg transistor
Nanophotonic quantum phase switch with a single atom
By analogy to transistors in classical electronic circuits, quantum optical switches are important elements of quantum circuits and quantum networks1, 2, 3. Operated at the fundamental limit where a single quantum of light or matter controls another field or material system4, such a switch may enable applications such as long-distance quantum communication5, distributed quantum information processing2 and metrology6, and the exploration of novel quantum states of matter7. Here, by strongly coupling a photon to a single atom trapped in the near field of a nanoscale photonic crystal cavity, we realize a system in which a single atom switches the phase of a photon and a single photon modifies the atomâs phase. We experimentally demonstrate an atom-induced optical phase shift8 that is nonlinear at the two-photon level9, a photon number router that separates individual photons and photon pairs into different output modes10, and a single-photon switch in which a single âgateâ photon controls the propagation of a subsequent probe field11, 12. These techniques pave the way to integrated quantum nanophotonic networks involving multiple atomic nodes connected by guided light.Physic
Intracranial V. cholerae Sialidase Protects against Excitotoxic Neurodegeneration
Converging evidence shows that GD3 ganglioside is a critical effector in a number of apoptotic pathways, and GM1 ganglioside has neuroprotective and noötropic properties. Targeted deletion of GD3 synthase (GD3S) eliminates GD3 and increases GM1 levels. Primary neurons from GD3Sâ/â mice are resistant to neurotoxicity induced by amyloid-ÎČ or hyperhomocysteinemia, and when GD3S is eliminated in the APP/PSEN1 double-transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease the plaque-associated oxidative stress and inflammatory response are absent. To date, no small-molecule inhibitor of GD3S exists. In the present study we used sialidase from Vibrio cholerae (VCS) to produce a brain ganglioside profile that approximates that of GD3S deletion. VCS hydrolyzes GD1a and complex b-series gangliosides to GM1, and the apoptogenic GD3 is degraded. VCS was infused by osmotic minipump into the dorsal third ventricle in mice over a 4-week period. Sensorimotor behaviors, anxiety, and cognition were unaffected in VCS-treated mice. To determine whether VCS was neuroprotective in vivo, we injected kainic acid on the 25th day of infusion to induce status epilepticus. Kainic acid induced a robust lesion of the CA3 hippocampal subfield in aCSF-treated controls. In contrast, all hippocampal regions in VCS-treated mice were largely intact. VCS did not protect against seizures. These results demonstrate that strategic degradation of complex gangliosides and GD3 can be used to achieve neuroprotection without adversely affecting behavior
Cheating the locals: invasive mussels steal and benefit from the cooling effect of indigenous mussels
The indigenous South African mussel Perna perna gapes during periods of aerial exposure to maintain aerobic respiration. This behaviour has no effect on the body temperatures of isolated individuals, but when surrounded by conspecifics, beneficial cooling effects of gaping emerge. It is uncertain, however, whether the presence of the invasive mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis limits the ability of P. perna for collective thermoregulation. We investigated whether varying densities of P. perna and M. galloprovincialis influences the thermal properties of both natural and artificial mussel beds during periods of emersion. Using infrared thermography, body temperatures of P. perna within mixed artificial beds were shown to increase faster and reach higher temperatures than individuals in conspecific beds, indicating that the presence of M. galloprovincialis limits the group cooling effects of gaping. In contrast, body temperatures of M. galloprovincialis within mixed artificial mussel beds increased slower and exhibited lower temperatures than for individuals in beds comprised entirely of M. galloprovincialis. Interestingly, differences in bed temperatures and heating rates were largely dependent on the size of mussels, with beds comprised of larger individuals experiencing less thermal stress irrespective of species composition. The small-scale patterns of thermal stress detected within manipulated beds were not observed within naturally occurring mixed mussel beds. We propose that small-scale differences in topography, size-structure, mussel bed size and the presence of organisms encrusting the mussel shells mask the effects of gaping behaviour within natural mussel beds. Nevertheless, the results from our manipulative experiment indicate that the invasive species M. galloprovincialis steals thermal properties as well as resources from the indigenous mussel P. perna. This may have significant implications for predicting how the co-existence of these two species may change as global temperatures continue to rise
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